TWO THUMBS UP: Review of THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE (film on 1990s Iraq) by Rob Carr

I was strolling through the lovely streets of Amsterdam when I saw this poster for a movie involving Saddam Hussein: The President's Cake. Having worked and met my life partner in Iraq, I was immediately intrigued.

I was hesitant at first, as I could not figure out how a filmmaker could capture such a story in the Iraq I knew back in 1992 and 1993. Back then, there was a strict ban on media and cameras, and people didn't dare whisper about Saddam (unless they were in the North). There was also a total lack of access to anywhere a government minder did not want you to see. Ultimately, we took a gamble and watched it at the lovely EYE Film Museum (photo below).

It was a beautiful but tragic film. There were simply no happy endings in Iraq in the early 1990s—the Gulf War, crippling sanctions, and a brutal regime ensured that. The footage of Marsh Arabs paddling their boats through the swamps was fascinating. The clothing, the buildings, the petty bribery of civil servants, beat up old cars and the painful human suffering caused by the sanctions were exactly how I recall it. The storyline was also well done, following young Lamia as she tries to do the right things when everything is going against her.

I highly recommend it. It will not lift your spirits, but it will give you the best possible glimpse into 1990s Iraq without actually being there. It offers a powerful, sobering look at the brutal impact of sanctions, authoritarian regimes, and the devastating results when leaders fail to negotiate rather than invade.  It also introduces us to a bold film director, Hasan Hadi, who really took time to recreate the detail of that era.  Don't miss it if it is playing near you.

The PLOT: (see more here)

In poverty-stricken 1990s Iraq, young Lamia is selected to prepare a cake for the President’s birthday. Because basic ingredients are hard to find, Lamia goes on a journey in search of eggs, flour and sugar. It becomes a tender, tragicomic odyssey, offering a child-eye’s view of life under authoritarianism.

Writer-director Hasan Hadi’s affecting debut feature follows 9-year-old girl Lamia. She is tasked with bringing a cake to school for the President’s mandatory birthday celebration. Against a backdrop of crippling poverty and food shortages, she journeys from her marshland home to a nearby city in search of ingredients. Coming along with her are her sacrificing grandmother Bibi, her best friend Saeed and her beloved pet rooster Hindi.

Shot on location in Iraq with nonprofessional actors, this tender, tragicomic odyssey offers a poignant child’s-eye view of life under authoritarian rule. The film was inspired by Hasan Hadi’s childhood memories of 1990s Iraq under Saddam Hussein, and was awarded the Caméra d’Or at Cannes for best first feature.

The EYE film museum